Friday, February 21, 2014

Wallpaper: Yuna Kim missed out on gold, but more than 1.5m people want the judging to be reviewed.

More than 1.5 million people have signed a petition demanding an inquiry into Adelina Sotnikova's victory over Yuna Kim in the women's figure skating in Sochi.

As Russia's first Winter Olympics headed into the final weekend, the host nation rejoiced after snatching the coveted figure skating title for the first time late on Thursday.

Sotnikova, who few had expected to be among the medals before the competition began, eclipsed overwhelming favourite Kim, who led after the first round, despite the defending champion producing a stirring performance that many viewers had deemed to be enough.

The controversy rumbled on into Friday, when South Koreans expressed shock and anger at a decision they said had been engineered to favour the Russians. "Queen Yuna" is one of South Korea's best-known athletes and had won gold in the Games in Vancouver in 2010.

It was not only South Koreans who doubted the outcome. "I am stunned by this result, I don't understand the scoring," said Katarina Witt, the 1984 and 1988 champion, while commentating on German TV.

Russian television and radio stations lionised their 17-year-old champion on Friday, although the Sovietsky Sport newspaper referred to the scandal with the headline: "American media cast doubt over Adelina Sotnikova's victory."

Sotnikova scored a total of 224.59 to overhaul Kim, who finished with 219.11. It was Russia's seventh gold of the Games and delivered the host's best moment so far. Sotnikova finished with a 75.54 technical mark, compared with 69.69 for Kim.